In 2023, Greece recorded the longest average weekly working hours in the European Union, with employees aged 20-64 working 39.8 hours per week in their main job, according to Eurostat. This places Greece at the top of the EU list for working hours, followed closely by Romania (39.5 hours), Poland (39.3 hours), and Bulgaria (39.0 hours).
These figures contrast sharply with countries like the Netherlands, which had the shortest average working week at 32.2 hours, followed by Austria (33.6 hours) and Germany (34.0 hours).
Eurostat's data also highlighted the sectors with the longest and shortest working weeks across the EU. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing topped the list with an average of 41.5 working hours per week, followed by mining and quarrying (39.1 hours) and construction (38.9 hours). On the other end of the spectrum, the shortest working weeks were found in household activities as employers (26.7 hours), education (31.9 hours), and arts, entertainment, and recreation (33.0 hours).
(Source: Eurostat)